Aliero’s war on Abuja
You will not be far from the truth if you say that Minster of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Adamu Aliero has declared ‘war’ on Abuja. For about a week now, heavy smoke from burning motorcycles, benches, tyres and other confiscated items coloured the air in most districts. Dazed and confused hawkers and operators of […]
You will not be far from the truth if you say that Minster of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Adamu Aliero has declared ‘war’ on Abuja. For about a week now, heavy smoke from burning motorcycles, benches, tyres and other confiscated items coloured the air in most districts. Dazed and confused hawkers and operators of roadside bukas run for cover on sighting men of the task force. Over 300 armed policemen are deployed daily to enforce environmental laws of the city. In the one year since Aliero took charge of the FCT, he has come under heavy criticism by residents of the city and the National Assembly for non-performance, especially in enforcing the ban on Okada and general cleanliness in the city. He was serially criticized by the National Assembly when land fees were hiked and speed breakers were introduced in the city.
What appears to have triggered the latest ‘war’ by the FCT administration on the violators of Abuja’s environmental laws is last Thursday’s conclusion by members of the National Assembly that the Minister has failed. During debates, Halims Agoda, from Delta State, who sponsored the motion to censure Mr Aliero, said Abuja is rapidly losing its pristine beauty and cleanliness and that the state of the capital territory shows the Minister has “gone to sleep.”
Less than 24 hour after the heavy criticism by Reps, Aliero gave street hawkers and other violators of the Abuja environmental laws 18 hours to leave the city and the newly constituted Task Force under the leadership of Aminu Balele Kurfi went into action. The Task Force threatened to shut down National Mosque, National Christian Centre, Federal Ministry of Justice, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission(RMAFC) as well as the Office of the Head of Civil Service unless they provide additional waste receptacles in their premises. Similarly, several embassies like British, Canadian, Ugandan, and others were put on notice to clean up or have their premises sealed.
Last Saturday, the task force charged through the city, seizing hundreds of motorcycles and setting them ablaze in the process, dismantling and setting batchers ablaze, confisticating wares belonging to hawkers and generally uprooting anything that is an eyesore. Aliero himself was said to have personally led a raid on Area I last Tuesday night.
The renewed effort at sanitising the city has attracted kudos and condemnation in some quarters. For Mallam Ibrahim Mamman (not real names), a civil servant, no one should complain. “We asked for it. I’m in full support of what Aliero is doing. Were we not the ones complaining that el-Rufai was better? Nigerians are a very difficult people to please. We asked for action and action is here. Nobody should complain of highhandedness.”
For Emma Okafor, Aliero’s war is telling on the masses. “When El-rufai was doing his thing, it was both ways. He demolished places in Karmo and he also touched on properties at places like Maitama and Asokoro. But Aliero is just chasing poor people up and down in Abuja,” he lamented.
When the task force struck at Jabi Mechanic Village on Thursday, even PHCN cables and trees were not spared. They set fire on unused tyres and benches, setting them on fire and lighting up a high tension cable that caused panic in the area. A mechanic who gave his name as Jude told Weekly Trust that most artisans run away at the sight of well-armed task force officials.
Abdulsalam Suleiman, a Political Scientist, said the problem of poor people besieging urban centres is a structural defect in Nigeria’s Federalism. “When you concentrate power in the centre and put up gigantic structures in one single place called Federal Capital that consumes most of the monies in the country, be sure that people will troop there.”
But Aliero debunked of some of the allegations against him. On the question of non-performance, he said his administration has been silently carrying major projects within the city. “When I witnessed the traffic problem on Kubwa road, I felt that it was not good for people coming into the city to suffer like that. We embarked on the expansion and rehabilitation of Zuba-Kubwa expressway and the one leading to City Gate. The work is in progress.”
Aliero also told Weekly Trust about the Abuja Light Rail project. “This is one project that if completed will solve the problem fast moving people across the FCT.We are even thinking of awarding the second phase, which is Kubwa, Airport Road, City Centre, Kuje and Gwagawalada.” Aliero said his administration is also concentrating in moving Abuja to the next level by opening up other parts of the city.
Arguably the most controversial FCT project during Aliero’s tenure, is that of speed-breakers. The media has been rife with public opinion condemning them. The minister told Weekly Trust that it was Oceanic Bank’s Social Responsibility Project, endorsed by his administration. “Speed-breakers were not installed by FCT, but by Oceanic Bank. They made a proposal and it was approved. They went ahead and contracted Julius Berger to install the speed-breakers. It was meant to reduce accidents and to a large extent, it has reduced accident rates by about 90 percent based on the statistics we have received from Road Safety and Police. But since people are complaining, we will make adjustment where necessary,” he explained. On seized motorcycles, he said they have not decided yet, but the bikes will never be returned. “We have not decided yet on these motorcycles, but one thing I can assure you is that they will not be given back.”
The chairman of the task force, Aminu Balele Kurfi, told Weekly Trust that they resorted to burning the motorcycles because the riders have become recalcitrant.
A resident called Aisha Hamza told Weekly Trust that she feels street cleaners are too few in Abuja, resulting in dusty and untidy streets. But Kurfi said that arrangements have been concluded to engage more people. “We will continue to engage more private sector participation, which will further help in keeping the city clean.” He explained to Weekly Trust that they will seek the cooperation of NDLEA to rid the city of miscreants who hide under the environmental lapses to engage in illegal activities.
Musa Ndagi-Hassan, a tailor at a highbrow fashion house in Garki said: “Love him or hate him, I think [Aliero] is doing a fantastic job so far. I mean, someone was there before, right? Then the man has to stand up first, balance himself before beginning to work. And that’s what is going on now. The balancing is over and Abuja residents are experiencing work in progress.”
But there is one Mallam Ya’u Mai-Shayi at Utako District, who looked exhausted from running from task force officials, and paused to talk to Weekly Trust. He said most of the people that patronise his tea vending business are civil servants and street sweepers. “The people that patronise us can’t afford to eat at Sheraton.” Mai-Shay’s question harks back to an issue on which FCT Ministers – even before Aliero – have always been charged on, namely: What is the poor Nigerian’s position in the FCT? Maybe by the time Aliero’s ‘war’ is done, from the dust an answer might arise.